Understand

Advertised as "the Gateway to the Highlands" by the local authority, and long regarded as the capital of the Highlands, Inverness is the centre for commerce and industry in the Scottish Highlands, with continuing new investment in traditional industries and new hi-tech industries. It is also said to be one of the fastest growing cities in Europe.

Get in

By plane

Inverness has an airport served by FlyBE (a codeshare partner of British Airways), Easyjet, Eastern Airways, Aer Aran, Highland Airways. It is sited between Nairn and Inverness and accessible from the Inverness-Aberdeen road. Limited charter services fly out from this airport. A taxi from the airport into the city costs around £15. Bus route 10 goes to town for much cheaper.[6]

By train

Inverness railway station is located in the City Centre. There are direct services to Edinburgh, Glasgow and London from the south and Aberdeen from the east. There are two scenic lines: to Thurso and Wick, and to Kyle of Lochalsh.

If you're travelling from London, the Caledonian Sleeper[7] is an excellent way to travel. It leaves from London Euston the previous night and arrives between 0800 - 0830. East Coast[8] also operate a daily service to and from London King's Cross (known as The Highland Chieftain) which leaves at around 0900 (southbound) or 1200 (northbound). Journey time is around 8 hours.

Be warned. There is sometimes an error with the booking system through the internet if you intend to sit rather than book a sleeping berth; if your ticket says 'no seat reserved', you need to either phone up First Scot Rail or visit your nearest train station to reserve one (for free). If you don't have a reserved seat you may not be allowed on the train, despite having bought a ticket with the times and dates of the train printed on them, or at best be forced to pay £40 for a sleeping berth if there is one available.

By bus

By boat

The Caledonian Canal links the Beauly Firth through Loch Ness to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain.

Get around

By bus

There are around fifty bus routes traveling in and around Inverness, mainly operated by Stagecoach Inverness[14]. It helps to know where your destination is, as some ces do not have detailed information on the outside of the bus.

By train

The 'Invernet' rail network provides commuter train services to Inverness from Tain, Dingwall and Beauly in the North, Nairn, Forres and Elgin in the East and Aviemore and Kingussie in the South.

By taxis

This is probably the most efficient form of transport after hours, as most bus services cease or become less frequent at about 7pm. You will not pay a great deal for a taxi by UK standards as Inverness is rather small, and routes are very direct. Some black cabs exist, though the majority of taxis are minicabs. These are all fairly trustworthy.

By limousine

Limos are available for hire from certain operators at a rate of about £70/hour.

By bike

There are a few cycle lanes[15] on Inverness roads. However there are many combined cycle-footpaths where bicycles are welcome.

See

Inverness Castle and River Ness

Inverness Castle[16] at the end of the western pedestrian zone. It is a relatively new castle built in 1847 to replace a medieval castle blown up by the Jacobites. It houses the Sheriff Court and cannot be seen as a visitor (you at least should try to never see it from the inside).

Inverness Museum & Art Gallery[17], Castle Wynd (base of Inverness Castle), 237114. The museum has a collection of Pictish stones and wildlife dioramas, as well as historic weapons. Underwent a major refurbishment in 2006, and now contains many artefacts on loan from the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Old High Church[18], Church Street, Inverness IV1 1EY. Oldest Church in Inverness, the 'Town Church' of the city. Historic Tour each Friday at 11.30am, June to August. Sunday services at 11.15am, Prayers for Peace and Justice every Friday at 1.05pm, and occasional evening services in the summer, with guest preachers, as advertised.

Do

Located on the south side of the Moray Firth with picturesque River Ness flowing through the city, it is worth taking a walk to the Ness Islands or the Caledonian Canal[19]. From the castle, walk upstream along the River Ness for less than 1 mile. The Caledonian Canal towpath is also good for walking.

Or take a walk along the river with the Churches Along the River [20] leaflet, available from hotels, tourist offices, churches or downloadable from the website.

Inverness offers activities from golfing to watersports.

A bicycle ride through the Ness Islands and along the waterfront is highly recommended.

Inverness has a very busy music & theatre scene. Inverness also has regular ceilidh nights and new indie nights in various venues across the city.

Jacobite Cruises (Jacobite cruises on Loch Ness), Tomnahurich Bridge, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness. IV3 5TD (Take the Loch Ness road out of the city), ☎01463 233999, [1]. A selection of Inverness tours and cruises on Loch Ness and the Caledonian canal pick up in city centre in various locations. Cruises run 7 days a week throughout the year.

Buy

Eat

Inverness has a wide selection of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. There are a number of high quality restaurants serving a mixture of traditional Scottish food and modern cuisine using locally sourced produce. Worthy of a mention are:

Ash Restaurant and Lounge Bar, a boutique city centre restaurant next to Railway Station, next to East gate Retail and Opposite Victorian Market, offering an extensive a ala carte menu with free wi-fi facilities .

The Heathmount Hotel[22]a boutique hotel with informal restaurant and a lively bar at Crown just minutes walk from city centre

Bazpackers, 4 Culduthel Rd, Inverness, IV2 4AB, ph: 01463 717663[28] A perfect combination of cleanliness and informality. This hostel is quite small so booking in advance is advised. They have a resident cat called Polly. £ 15 Dorm.

Bught caravan and camping site, Bught Lane, Inverness, IV3 5SR, ph: 01463 236920, [29] is just off the main road out to Loch Ness and Fort William. Open March to November, it is situated conveniently for a very pleasant 20 minute walk along the river into the city centre.

The Royal Highland Hotel, a completely refurbished luxury city centre Heritage hotel located next to the Railway Station, a popular venue and a landmark of Inverness and Highland ambience since 1856, [32], email: [email protected]

Pottery House: A wonderful bed and breakfast just outside of Inverness in the village of Dores. Rooms offer views directly onto the Loch Ness: [33]

The Avalon Guest House, [35], 79 Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5PB, Tel: +44 (1463) 239075, is currently rated on Tripadvisor as #1 B&B/Guest House in Inverness and was placed third in the whole of Europe in their 2009 Travellers' Choice Awards. The rooms are beautiful, having recently had a full refurbishment, and the owners are incredibly friendly and helpful.

Splurge

Culloden House Hotel[37], beautiful Country House Hotel set 3 miles out of the city centre, great food, magnificent rooms, tel - 01463 790461. Culloden House is where Bonny Prince Charlie slept, the night before the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

Get out

Culloden Battlefied lies on the outskirts of Inverness, scene of Bonny Prince Charlie's final defeat in 1746

Clava Cairns, close to Culloden battlefield (leaving the carpark turn right and right again at the next intersection, follow the signs). The Clava Cairns is a Bronze Age burial site. No admission charge. Site in care of Historic Scotland and accessible all year.

InvernessTours.com[40] is run by Tony Harmsworth who founded the Loch Ness Centre and has scripted and presented history and heritage exhibitions in the Highlands. You charter the six passenger luxury Mercedes exclusively from £75 and choose one of dozens of itineraries published on his website.

Loch Ness is approximately 6 miles from Inverness. Jacobite [41] have buses travelling to Loch Ness from Inverness to link up with their cruise boats. Cruises may be joined at Tomnahurich, at the southern edge of the city. For the first 3/4 miles, these sail down the famous and scenic Caledonian Canal and then down Loch Ness itself. Alternatively you may board at Drumnadrochit for the return sail, having visited nearby Urquhart Castle[42] and the Loch Ness Visitor Centre[43] which carries the story of Nessie[44]]. For information with a more scientific slant see The Loch Ness Information Site[45].

Mountain Resorts

There are two mountain resorts within easy reach of Inverness. Both started life as ski facilities but now cater for a wide range of year-round activities and have mountain-top restaurants and shops.

Cairngorm Mountain[46] - is approx. 30 miles away near Aviemore and has Scotland's only funicular railway.

If you have a car you can also easily reach the Nevis Range[47] in Fort William, some 63 miles away along the winding A82. At Nevis Range the mountain (which is called Aonach Mor and is 'next door' to Ben Nevis) is ascended by a cable-car gondola system.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!